Bright Horizons Teddington Cedar Road Day Nursery and Preschool

Asquith Nursery - Teddington

Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

Asquith Nursery - Teddington

Unique Reference Number EY288734 Inspection date 09 September 2005 Inspector Sarah Street

p.1

Asquith Nursery - Teddington

Setting Address 16 Cedar Road, Teddington, Middlesex, TW11 9AL

p.1

E-mail

Registered person Asquith Court Nurseries Limited Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Full day care

p.1

E-mail

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

p.1

ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

p.2

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are outstanding. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are outstanding.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Asquith Nursery, Teddington, is one of many nurseries run by Asquith Nurseries Ltd. It opened in 1990 and operates from a Victorian building in a residential area of Teddington, Middlesex. The nursery is open each week day from 07:30 to 18:00 for 51 weeks of the year. Children attend for a variety of full or part time sessions. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are optional French, 'Tots Sports' and

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 'Pee Wee' karate classes. The nursery is registered to care for 97 children. There are currently 125 children from 3 months to 5 years on roll. Of these 33 receive funding for nursery education. The nursery currently supports a number of children with special needs and who speak English as an additional language. The nursery employs 31 staff. Of these staff; 18, including the manager, hold appropriate early years qualifications. A further 8 staff are working towards a qualification. The setting receives support from the local authority early years and childcare development partnership, the area special needs co-ordinator and Asquith Nurseries head office.

p.2

Helping children to be healthy

The provision is outstanding. Children thrive because staff follow highly effective procedures and practices which meet the children's physical, health and nutritional needs. Excellent use is made of the outside area which ensures children have regular opportunities to play in fresh air and develop their large motor skills. The garden is available from early in the morning and effective organisation ensures children use the garden with children of their own age. In the garden the children develop their large physical skills as they confidently and competently ride and steer bikes, dig in the sand and practice their co-ordination and balance skills as they explore the climbing equipment. Children regularly help themselves to easily accessible fresh drinking water throughout the day. Staff ensure babies have regular drinks. Healthy snacks help children develop their understanding of healthy eating as they choose fruit at snack

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

times. The flexible organisation of snack time means children can choose when to have their snack. All children have freshly cooked well balanced meals. Staff have excellent knowledge of all the children's dietary needs and ensure these are met. Babies' food is pureed or chopped depending on their stage of development. Meal times are happy social occasions where the staff sit with the children. Children's independence is encouraged as they learn to feed themselves with staff giving support where necessary. The exceptional adult support and guidance helps children gain an excellent understanding of hygiene and staying healthy. For example, children confidently tell staff 'if you don't wash your hands you will have germs' and 'if you don't eat fruit you might get ill'. The provision of soap, hot water, paper towels and staff's vigilance in reminding children to wash their hands minimises the risk of cross infection.

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

Accidents are effectively dealt with as many staff have first aid training. Well stocked first aid boxes are accessible. Rigorous procedures ensure that children do not receive too many doses of medicine. For example, when a parent completes a

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 medicine consent form they have to record the time they last gave their child the medicine.

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. Risks of accidental injury to children are minimised because staff are extremely vigilant and use thorough risk assessments to reduce potential hazards. For example, safety gates prevent children leaving the rooms unsupervised, all cleaning materials are inaccessible and daily opening and closing checklists ensure the safety of the premises. Children have a good understanding of keeping safe. When asked why they had to hold onto the banister children confidently replied 'so we don't fall'. Excellent procedures keep children safe. In the garden, staff are extremely vigilant about children's exposure to sun and ensure all children have sun hats and sun cream. Babies are in shade and children do not stay in direct sun for more than thirty minutes. The use of close circuit television, photographs and passwords ensures only known adults collect children. Staff can effectively manage any emergencies as they

p.4

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

have regular evacuation drills and fire blankets in every room. Children play in very clean premises. They use an excellent range of high quality equipment appropriate to their age and stage of development. Children confidently select their toys from low level shelves. All required policies and procedures are in place which ensures the excellent welfare of all the children. Staff protect children from possible abuse. All staff attend child protection training and ,through discussion, demonstrate a very good understanding of when they have concerns that a child may be at risk. Referral procedures are in place which gives top priority to children's welfare.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children relish their time in the setting. They achieve well because staff are highly skilled and use their excellent understanding of early years guidance, such as Birth to three matters and the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage, to provide very high quality care and education. Children enter confidently, choose an activity and quickly become absorbed in their play. Children who are less confident receive excellent support as staff will stop what they are doing to give individual attention. Superb relationships exist between staff and children. All staff interact very positively with the children. They talk to them and give lots of cuddles and praise. Staff effectively communicate with babies using language, smiles and positive facial expressions. All children participate in high quality activities suitable for their age and stage of development. Staff are highly

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

supportive of all the children. For example, several staff helped the babies at a painting activity allowing them to adapt it. The children had large brushes but staff let them explore the paint using their fingers. During a singing activity with puppets all

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 staff sat with the two and three year olds enthusiastically joining in with songs, while reassuring several of the children who were a little unsure of the puppets. Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is outstanding. Staff's experience, confidence and knowledge of the Foundation Stage ensures children make excellent progress. Comprehensive plans cover all areas of learning and demonstrate staff's very good understanding. Staff record the stepping stones they wish to achieve and which children they specifically want to target. This ensures that all children make progress and have sound knowledge. Staff competently use written observations and evaluations to record what each child can do. They use this information to confirm children are making progress and to plan their next stage of learning.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children make excellent progress in all areas of learning. They are engrossed in their play and learning due to the stimulating and extensive range of activities and have excellent concentration skills. Children show a sense of belonging as they warmly greet staff and each other. They learn to care for others as they help feed the guinea pigs and think about how they can help new children settle into the room. Children competently pour their drinks and select resources. Excellent communication skills exist with regular open ended conversations taking place between staff and children. For example, when playing in the home area staff ask what the children are cooking and several reply 'pancakes' and 'Chinese food'. Children enjoy looking at books and listen intently to stories. Children often look at books they have made using photos and their own writing. They also understand that information comes from books. For

p.5

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

example, in the home area children look at recipe books. Very confident children work with numbers and shapes. They are able to accurately count and match, say which number comes next and correctly use mathematical language such as narrow, big and smaller. Children develop their understanding of the world as they regularly celebrate a range of cultural festivals. Children regularly explore the natural environment as they plant and observe the growth of seeds, herbs and rockery plants. They learn about animals in the world and are able to recognise them. For example, when playing with the sea life children confidently identify sea horses, lobsters, rays and killer whales. They use their imagination to design and construct a wide range of models using construction and art materials. Children's small motor skills develop as they competently use pens, scissors, rolling pins and threading items. Creative and imaginative skills develop well as children regularly take part in

p.5

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

music, art and role play activities. Colourful art work is obviously the children's own work and they are very proud of their displays. Music is always available as instruments hang in the garden, children regularly sing and use tape recorders in the room.

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. All children are welcomed and included in the setting because staff value and respect their individuality. Staff are extremely knowledgeable when talking about the children and know who may need some extra attention. For example, when there was a

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 thunderstorm staff quickly went to a child who they knew would be very frightened. The child was calmly reassured as she sat on the staff's lap. Many books, posters, resources and the regular celebration of festivals give children very positive images of society. Children who have special needs are welcomed into the setting. They receive excellent support as staff work with other agencies including portage workers, occupational therapists and speech therapists. This means children are able to develop at their own pace and can participate in all the activities. Children's behaviour is excellent. Staff have high expectations and are positive role models who regularly say please and thank you. They help children to learn about sharing and turn taking. For example, staff in the pre-school room will remind children

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

who have been in the home area for a long time that other children may like to have a turn. When a child came out and let another child play, staff thanked the child for doing so. Partnership with parents is outstanding. Excellent relationships with parents contribute significantly to children's well being. Staff discuss babies home routines and follow sleep and meal patterns. All parents receive a hand book which informs them of the policies, health and safety issues and the importance of play. Effective and regular communication during chats and the sharing of written information ensures staff and parents work well together. This ensures all children make progress. Parents of children who receive funding for nursery education have comprehensive information about the foundation stage as they attend information evenings, receive regular newsletters and access developmental records. This helps parents to participate in children's learning. Parents state they are extremely happy

p.6

Helping children make a positive contribution

with the setting. Comments include 'curriculum overview is displayed and allows us to see the long and short term plans', 'care is outstanding' and 'consistently high standard'. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

p.6

Organisation

The organisation is outstanding. The nursery enhances children’s care due to the exceptional quality of organisation. The premises are very well organised. Indoor and outdoor space is laid out to maximise play opportunities for children. For example, in the garden children play with construction toys, sand, water, plant seeds, draw, use the climbing equipment and ride on bikes. Children have helped make a sensory area in the garden where they can explore items which smell, touch and sound. The deployment of staff ensures children always have exceptional support. The setting employs several staff whose role is to provide cover for breaks and if staff are away. This system ensures children have excellent support as they are looked after by staff they know and the nursery maintains ratios. All legally required documentation which contributes to children's health, safety and well being is in place. It is very neatly recorded, filed and

p.6

Organisation

staff regularly review. Children benefit from highly qualified and skilled staff who are effectively recruited and inducted. Individual files demonstrate staff's suitability to work with children. The

p.6

Organisation

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 thorough induction process means staff are aware of health and safety issues as well as the policies and procedures. For example, following induction staff complete a questionnaire which supports their knowledge. All staff are committed to continuous development and improvement. For example, they regularly attend training courses and evaluate how effective their planning is. Leadership and management is outstanding. Staff are led by a highly committed manager. She is an extremely positive role model who expects the children's needs to the most important. As she is supernumerary, and the nursery also employs an administration manager, this means she often spends time in the room where she offers support. Staff are obviously comfortable in her presence. They state that the

p.6

Organisation

manager is very approachable and supportive. The high quality of the provision means that the nursery meets the needs of the range of children who attend extremely well.

p.7

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.7

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are outstanding. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

p.7

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are outstanding.

p.7

The quality and standards of the care

No recommendations for improvement are made because the quality and standards of care are outstanding.

p.7

The quality and standards of the nursery education

No recommendations for improvement are made because the quality and standards of nursery education are outstanding.

p.7

The quality and standards of the nursery education

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.7

The quality and standards of the nursery education

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

p.8